NFS:SHIFT new interview! Reveals a lot :D

1UP: Something I noticed earlier is the reflection on the hood as the player drives around. Is this something that Slightly Mad brought to the table?

<!-- end screen module --> JA: This is one of those things about a next-gen engine that's really important to us. It's not only the quality of the immersive experience, but it's just something people expect out of games today and certainly in this segment of simulation game: Crisp, sharp, pixel-perfect graphics are the prerequisite. What Slightly Mad has done in their engine are little things like showing the entire high-resolution environment map on the hoods of the cars. What that does for people who like the [cockpit] view is it provides a full, dynamic reflectio model of the world. They see the light on the tunnel, and the lines on the road and the brake lights from the cars ahead get reflected back. It's one of the attributes of a great next generation engine, and the multi-core architecture has the ability to push this stuff like never before.

1UP: Everything on the dashboard is fully rendered, correct?JA: It's fully 3D and fully functional. [points on-screen] The GTR here has both the analog and digital display, a gear shift indicator with a digital LCD, and all the other elements that someone would expect if they had been in a GTR. And if they haven't, they can see fully what the inside of that car looks like. we have the head-mounted camera as well, which lets the player look around as though it were their own head; they can see much more of the car, the driver, the steering wheel, the feet moving the pedals, and the whole rest of the car by just looking around. Certainly not something anyone does very often when they're driving at high speed, but it is possible. The third person view offers a free, rotatable camera, so players can see the entire model of the car and the damage that has occurred in a race and can get feel for the presence of the car on the track.

1UP: Where do you see Shift fitting into the field alongside other racing games.

JA: It certainly sits in the simulation sub-genre. But what we don't want Shift to ever be perceived of as is a simulation game. We don't see it as the typical hardcore driving simulator that requires you to have a license to play and have fun with. While we see it competing with quality games in that segment, we expect it to stand out. The authentic racing experience and the game's many other features will bring the player closer to the car. And the capabilities of the engine, the types of cars, the interior and exterior customization, and the tracks from around the world (as well as the fictional tracks) will further set Shift apart from the competition.

1UP: What's the level of customization possible? Is it aesthetic as well as functional?

JA: Vehicle customization really brings the player further into the driving experience: who they are and what's their car. This year, interior customization will be an aspect of performance driving. As the player upgrades their car and does performance tuning, the interior of the car will also evolve. However they envision their racing cockpit, they'll eventually be able to buy those upgrades: full roll-cages, carbon fiber instead of fabric, or no interior at all, etc. And certain aspects of the HUD will be completely different because of the modifications that Shift will make possible.

1UP: This is as you progress in career mode and as you complete challenges?

JA: Yes, depending on where the player spends their money. And those types of things affect weight, so they'll need to performance modify their car to drop that weight. At some point the player will probably take out the seat next to them because they'll need that fifteen/twenty pound weight drop when taking a corner at high speed. Interior customization will be as important as exterior aerodynamic customization.

1UP: You have different types of cars: back engine, front engine, etc. Will these perform in different ways?

JA: The simulation physics engine is based on real chassis', so the player will have to understand the mid engine/front engine/rear engine and how they play into the weight of the car, how they affect balance and control in and out of corners. Those things are calculated based on real-world physics. The engine is the most significant weight in the car, so where that is affects how the car handles.

1UP: I think somebody was talking to me about AI "personalities" earlier. What does that mean, exactly?

JA: The "personalities" are really what allow the "fallible AI" system to work. For example, if I'm racing behind a guy in third position, and I'm on his bumper, then the pressure becomes much higher and he becomes a much more nervous driver. Those personality traits are what the Slightly Mad guys have built into the game to create human-like fallibility in the AI. It's a very systematic method in a computer model. However when you create a personality trait, you introduce the opportunity for an AI model to act more organically. Personality traits: nervousness, aggressiveness, precision, cautiousness -- those attributes become the way that the AI falls into making mistakes. Again, if I'm on an AI player's bumper, he becomes "nervous." He might misjudge a corner because he really wants to keep his speed high; he locks up his brakes. He crashes. I pass him.
Not only is the player experiencing a bit of a grudge match, but the AI jostling with one another makes them more aggressive and they become more prone to nudge a car that has nudged them. If the player decides to run aggressively then the AI will drive aggressively, and if the player chooses to drive precisely then the AI is going to ensure that they're driving as precisely as they can. Those are just effects of "we don't want the AI to ever be perceived as cheating" that a lot of games get discredited for.

If a player is a precise, expert player, the AI will do everything in its control to drive precisely and to avoid contact. Those are the elements of a real racing experience. I've seen somebody running an aggressive race set where the AI racers were jostling one another and causing accidents that the player wasn't even involved in; the whole grid became very aggressive because of it. Normally the player will want to run a precise race, keep damage down, and keep their car in good shape. The AI assists in that; they won't come and clip the player off the road in a tight corner.

Re: NFS:Shift new interview! Reveals a lot :D

but opening so much thread for one game makes me dizzy :S
it seems rush is opening a new thread for every news
my personal opinion is keeping all in a thread is better,its easier to find, discuss, view

Re: NFS:Shift new interview! Reveals a lot :D

Originally Posted by abir

but opening so much thread for one game makes me dizzy :S
it seems rush is opening a new thread for every news
my personal opinion is keeping all in a thread is better,its easier to find, discuss, view

I just everyone to know about a news And posting a new thread is the best way to make sure everyone gets the news And I dont open different threads about a specific topic. I mean : posting all videos , screen shots and interviews in a thread would be confusing . I was a forum member of official european Playstation forums (have about 4000 posts there ) . This posting system was used by users in that forum too. And the mods supported it too. Thats why i continued similarly here too.